Monday, 17 December 2012

Last weekend I met up with Milly, Maria, Robin, Kate, Steve, Elaina, Ben and Jo. It was Milly's annual Christmas get together in the Peak District. She booked the fantastic self catering cottage Riverside House in Litton Mill. Riverside House is situated in Miller's Dale in the heart of the Derbyshire Dales one of my favourite areas in the Peak District National Park. I set off late on Friday night as I was working late and didn't get there until nine o'clock. Luckily Miller's Dale is only an hour from my house. At Dove Holes I foolishly decided to turn off the main road and take the shortcut over the higher minor road via Wormhill. This was a big mistake as the steep and unlit road was treacherous in places covered in black ice and snow. I would have looked a bit of a wally had I been rescued as I was donning a big red furry Santa hat I had purchased on the way. When the road dropped altitude and descended to Wormhill the conditions improved and I arrived safely still donning my Santa hat.

Robin, Milly and Kate outside Riverside House, Litton Mill

We played the fastest pop quiz in the world ever on Friday night. Robin often falling out with Maria for not taking the game serious enough and talking over the intros. I drank a little too much Baileys whilst Robin handed out Port and cheeses. As I was last to arrive I had to sleep on the collapsible bed in the hallway. After a fairly good nights sleep I was woken by the familiar sound of early morning Milly working away in the kitchen as she does first thing in the morning. We had discussed possible routes the night before. Milly and I are both local and know the area well. Milly wanted to show the guys the area to the west along Millers Dale to Chee Dale, Wye Dale, Deep Dale and then a detour to the pub at Chelmerton. This was a fairly long route and I was feeling rather tired after a hard week so I decided on a shorter circular route that I had done a year ago from Monsal Head. This route passed through Litton Mill so I thought I would do the same route just starting from Litton Mill instead. This route also takes in my favourite Peak District pub the Red Lion at Litton. We decided the night before on a route that would take in up to five possible pubs along the way and intoxicated by Baileys and Port we decided somewhat optimistically that we would attempt a pub crawl. As you will see somewhat unsurprisingly that plan never materialised. We all woke up and breakfasted a little later than expected so didn't set off until late morning. We split into two groups. Robin, Maria, Ben and Jo all went with Milly on the longer route. Kate, Steve and Elaina joined me on my shorter route.

Litton Mill, Miller's Dale, Derbyshire Dales

We set off along the icy road towards Litton Mill. The mill is now swanky apartments. I would love to be able to recite a story of historic industrial success but Litton Mill is more famous for its lack of success, bad timing and socially unacceptable child labour. As Milly pointed out, it would be a strange place to live in if you knew its dark past. It is still an impressive building architecturally and in a stunning location by the River Wye.

Kate and Elaina photographing misty River Wye

After Litton Mill we crossed the bridge over the mill outflow, which was like an ice rink. We turned left and followed the path between the mill outflow and the River Wye, which was fast moving and in spate. As we approached the first bend on the river there was a lovely moment where the warm sun rays were hitting the surface of the River Wye. This produced rising wisps of mist from the water.

River Wye, Miller's Dale, Derbyshire Dales

It was a wonderful scene especially as the woods in the background were so enchanting. Dark trees with many branches stripped of their leaves by the autumn fall silhouetted like black veins in the mist.

Water-cum-Jolly Dale above River Wye, Miller's Dale

We continued along the path passing the huge cliffs at Water-cum-Jolly Dale. As we turned the corner towards the mill pond behind Cressbrook Mill I could see that the river was getting closer to the bank. I know that sometimes when the River Wye is in spate it is impossible to walk the river side path to Cressbrook as it can become completely submerged. There is a high alternative path that ascends to Cressbrook Hall which has to be taken when this happens. We passed the alternative path and continued in the hope that it would be passable. We soon realised there was no way we would make it along the river side path as it became ankle deep and looked even worse ahead. So we turned back and headed up the steep path to Cressbrook Hall.

Elaina and Kate by a swollen River Wye, Miller's Dale

The path across the fields to Cressbrook Hall was covered in ice that had developed from freeze thaw of recent snowfall. We managed to skirt the ice most of the way by tramping over lumps of frozen grass and nettles. At Cressbrook Hall we descended the tarmac road to Cressbrook Mill. At Cressbrook Mill we headed down the footpath behind the mill to reach the wooden footbridge over the outflow of the mill pond.

Rubicon Wall, Cressbrook, Miller's Dale, Derbyshire Dales

A beautiful Robin begged for food as we looked at the impressive limestone Rubicon Wall across the mill pond. Elaina and Steve obliged and handed the lovely red breasted friend some of their tasty muffin. The outflow from the mill pond was very fast flowing and the canyon below looked awesome.

Kate guarding bridge above Cressbrook Mill Pond outflow

I said to Steve that it is times like that when you can see the shear force of water that it is easy to understand how it shapes the land. We crossed the wooden footbridge and climbed the path on the other side. After a short distance on the path above Cressbrook Mill we reached the Monsal Trail.

Cressbrook Mill Pond outflow with Rubicon Wall behind

The Monsal Trail is a unique cycling, walking and horse riding trail. It is a fantastic multi-million pound resource that has been built using the abandoned Midland's Railway Line that once linked Manchester with the Midlands. The thing that makes this trail unique is its tunnels. The tunnels were relined and lit creating a continuous trail through the hills and dales. We were stood at the exit of the Cressbrook Tunnel. We watched groups of cyclists on rented bikes appear from the darkness of the tunnel. We could hear them making noise and then there lights. That is the great thing about the Monsal Trail, cycling through the tunnels you leave the landscape of one dale then exit the tunnel at the other end entering the different landscape of another.

Fossils in limestone step below Monsal Head, Peak District

We continued along the easy surface of the Monsal Trail to Headstone Viaduct. There are fabulous views from the Headstone Viaduct up and down the dale with the River Wye far below on the valley floor. On the other side of the Headstone Viaduct and just before the trail enters the Headstone Tunnel we turned left and ascended the path to Monsal Head. The path was fairly icy in places on the higher steps. One step caught my eye as it was a huge block of limestone with an abundance of fossils.

Headstone Viaduct from Monsal Head, Peak District

At Monsal Head we entered the Stable Bar at the Monsal Head Hotel. This is a great pub with some brilliant local ales. Its only problem however is that it is very cosy, which isn't a problem in the busy summers months as you can sit outside. Today however was too cold for sitting outside and inside it was already full. We decided therefore to head back to the Ellery's Tea Rooms.

Apple and Parsnip Soup and Bakewell, Ellery's Tea Room, Monsal Head

The food and service in Ellery's is always top notch. I had delicious and warming Apple and Parsnip soup followed by a tasty Bakewell slice. We laughed at what our pub crawl had turned into. We left Ellery's and descended the road into the dale to head back to Cressbrook along the valley floor.

Ravensdale Cottages, Cressbrook Dale, Derbyshire Dales

Just before Cressbrook we saw people on canoes heading down the River Wye. We could hear their instructor shouting to them warning them to get out of the river as there was a farmers barbed wire across the river at this point. We continued along the road to Cressbrook then at Cressbrook ascended the steep road on the right. At the top of the hill we turned right down the road to Ravensdale Cottages.

Muddy floor of Cressbrook Dale, Derbyshire Dales

After the idyllic Ravensdale Cottages the road turns into a very muddy footpath through the floor of the always damp dale. The environment in these dale floors is always damp, whether in warm dry mid summer or cold dry mid winter it is always temperate and damp in these dale floor woodlands. The trees are always cloaked in colourful lichens and mosses.

Wooden footbridge over swollen stream in Cressbrook Dale

The stream through the dale floor was just a foot wide the last time I came through here in summer but today it was in spate and at one point completely submerged our path. We crossed the footbridge over the swollen stream half way along the dale.

Footpath through Cressbrook Dale, Derbyshire Dales

The walk along the floor of the dale beyond the bridge was fairly icy in places. The stream that is usually a trickle and sometimes disappears all together, was around a dozen metres wide in places.

Kate admiring the far end of Cressbrook Dale, Derbyshire Dales

At the top of the dale where it is usually much drier, I was shocked to find a lake of water. When I passed through here in the summer there wasn't even a stream here, now there was a wide lake with ducks.

Kate on footbridge to Tansley Dale, Derbyshire Dales

We crossed the footbridge to Tansley Dale. In the summer you can usually just walk across the dried up stream bed. From the other side of the stream we watched big fat rabbits playing on the steep grassy hillside above.

Skirting icy path up Tansley Dale, Derbyshire Dales

Tansley Dale had a very icy path so we simply skirted it all the way to the top. The views back over the top of Cressbrook Dale were great with the low winter sun bathing the limestone escarpments.

Wardlow Hay Cop, Derbyshire Dales, Peak District

When we reached the top of Tansley Dale we crossed the large stile into the farmers fields and headed in the direction of the buildings at Litton. The track in between the two fields which has tall sheltering stone walls was an ice rink. I hadn't realised this when I jumped down from the second stile on to the track. I slipped but managed to keep my balance somehow.

Kate skidding along icy track near Litton, Peak District

We all crept up the track to the next stile whilst Kate did her best dancing on ice impression for the camera. Over the next field and stile we were in the village of Litton. The village of Litton has what is in my opinion the best pub in the Peak District, The Red Lion.

The Red Lion at Litton, Derbyshire Dales, Peak District

The Red Lion at Litton has it all. Warm real fires, local ales, tasty food and a great atmosphere with friendly bar staff and even friendlier locals. It is a great place to visit and every time I have the locals have always said hello and joined in with conversation, it is a really welcoming place.

Warm and friendly Red Lion at Litton, Derbyshire

We were happily warming our cockles. I was devouring a refreshing pint of Barnsley Bitter when I looked outside and realised it had gone dark. Looking at the map we realised we still had at least three kilometres to walk back to Litton Mill so we drank up and reluctantly left the warm surroundings of the Red Lion. We walked a kilometre down the road through Litton Dale, left at the road junction, then left through the stone wall to the road side path into Tideswell Dale. From the visitors car park onwards it was dark and the path was icy. We passed the famous giant wooden Water Vole and took the usual silly photos. After this point the path got treacherous and we had zero visibility so we all put on our head torches and micro spikes. Both of which made the next kilometre a lot easier.

Birthday boy Steve with his roman numeral birthday cake

We returned to Riverside House and there was no sign of the others which wasn't surprising as their route was a lot longer than ours and we guessed that like us they may have found a warm pub in which to sip a few drinks. A quick look on Facebook on one of our phones confirmed as such. A cheeky message was posted by them saying how grateful they were that we had got back before them and that we would be preparing the Christmas meal. We made a pot of tea and birthday boy Steve who was thirty one plus twenty today got his chocolate birthday cake from Kate with roman numerals.

Christmas table set, Riverside House

I set the table and then Gilly, Maria, Robin, Ben and Jo all came through the door with tales of their day. After showering the cooks worked their magic in the kitchen and produced a fantastic Christmas meal. We enjoyed it so much that we all forgot to take a photo of us all eating it!

Big children playing games after Christmas dinner

After Christmas dinner there was a race of pull back toy cars on a track which came in some of the crackers. It wasn't the most high tech of entertainment but Robin provided the technology by filming the photo finish. The purple car won by a mile. Those who weren't slaving over the cooker earlier cleaned up and then we all sat down for what has to have been the most overly complicated secret Santa I have ever experienced in my life! It was a fantastic weekend with fantastic friends and I really needed the break. Hugely grateful to Milly for organising it!

Monday, 10 December 2012

Weekend before last I got a text from Simon asking me if I fancied joining him and four others on a bike ride across the Pennines. Cycling the Trans Pennine Trail route from Sheffield to Manchester. Having had no outdoor fix for quite some time I simply could not resist. The weather for the weekend looked awesome with cold yet sunny days predicted, and my original plans for the weekend of a weekend away in the Lakes with the Butcher clan had fallen through. I have cycled the Trans Pennine Trail from Glossop to Manchester before but never cycled across the Pennines section. I am not a huge fan of cycling up hill to be honest. So I was very pleased when Simon revised the starting point to Penistone, some 100m higher and 14 miles north of Sheffield. I packed my gear and readied the bike on Thursday night so I could got a decent nights sleep on Friday. The bike has just had a new chain and cassette so was in great condition for a long ride. The weather forecast looked daunting on Friday night with severe ice warnings. Saturday morning when I woke it was dark and rainy. Fortunately by the time I made it to the platform at Altrincham railway station the rain clouds were fading away to show glimpses of clear skies.

Altrincham Railway Station

At Altrincham railway station I boarded the Northern Rail train to Manchester Piccadilly via Stockport. I had my new Kobo Mini eReader with me on this trip. Reading Monty Halls 'The Great Escape' made the twenty minute journey to stockport seem like only five. I highly recommend the Kobo Mini eReader it is a bargain and a great piece of lightweight yet fully functional kit for backpackers and regular travellers. At Stockport railway station I only had a few minutes in which to grab a hot chocolate and a bacon butty. Rushing from platform four to the comically named platform zero I spilt most of my hot chocolate.

My bike and hot chocolate on the train to Sheffield

On the Trans Pennine service to Sheffield I buried my head back into my eBook. The only time I looked out of the window was the moment the the train raced out of the Cowburn Tunnel into the brightness of the Hope Valley. I was slightly disappointed to see that the tops of Rushup Edge, Mam Tor and Kinder were lacking any snow. I smiled though as I always do when I'm on a train racing through the Hope Valley, I know every one of these big hills like the back of my hand and think back to so many incredible moments on top of them in all kind of weathers, the last visit a few weeks back when I saw Brocken Spectres on Lose Hill. The train entered the next dark abyss of the even longer Totley Tunnel, before racing out into brightness again, this time Yorkshire and the outskirts of Sheffield. At Sheffield station I met up with Gary and Simon, the only two remaining as Richard and Mark had to pull out last minute. We finished breakfast and jumped on the next train to Penistone. As the train made a steady ascent through the countryside we all commented on how relieved we were not to be doing those extra 14 miles and 100m of ascent had we started from Sheffield.

Trans Pennine Trail information board at Penistone, West Yorkshire

Three Leeds fans watched as we alighted from the train at Penistone. On their way to the match and all three of them already drinking cans of cider at ten. I kept my red lancastrian allegiances quiet of course. At Penistone the Trans Pennine Trail takes the route of an old railway line to Dunford Bridge. It is a distance of six miles with a hundred and ten metres of ascent. The railway took the steadiest line of ascent which makes the route really easy. We always knew that our biggest problem today was not going to be steep hills or muddy tracks it was always going to be the ice. The puddles were actually great fun to cycle through when the ice was thin as they made a very satisfying crunch similar to that which snow makes when you walk on it.

Icy puddles on Trans Pennine Trail near Penistone, West Yorkshire

Where the ice was not thick though in the deep cold railway cuttings the puddles were often dangerous in places. You could tell as you passed over some of them that if you forced the slightest change in direction or attempted to break you would be on your side, the bike on top of you and most likely your arms or knees slamming on to frozen solid ground. The route was very pleasant as we followed the valley of the River Don passing Thurlstone, Millhouse Green, Ecklands Bridge then Hazelhead Bridge after which the scenery got distinctly wilder. We were now surrounded by Dark Peak landscapes of wild peat moorland and the sound of moorland birds like Grouse, Skylark and Curlew.

Gary cycling up Windle Edge, Peak District

At Dunford Bridge the track reached the end of the old railway route. There is now two miles on road to reach the Woodhead Pass and the highest point of the day. Simon had warned us beforehand about a very steep hill somewhere along the route and as we turned left on to the minor road at Dunford Bridge we realised this was it. There was a lot of huffing and puffing. I couldn't see a single thing through my sunglasses when I finally reached the top. I was really pleased with my stamina during the day on the hills which I feared they would be my downfall, but I managed them surprisingly well. A mile and a half down the road is the highest point of the journey. We stopped and looked east towards the huge power stations in Yorkshire beyond Winscar Reservior and looked west down the Woodhead Valley with its many reservoirs and could see as far as Helsby Point near Chester on the horizon.

Gary and Simon on Windle Edge above Winscar Reservoir

We descended to the Woodhead Pass and crossed it to the track that descends the moorland to Salters Brook. The scenery was now awesome. The wild moorland of Bleaklow dominating the skyline in front of us. It felt amazing to be cycling at nearly 20mph through somewhere I am so used to walking slowly through.
It has to be said that cycling in areas like this is just as if not more invigorating than hill walking. You get to see so much more and go a greater distance yet it still feels natural.

Simon and Gary on the Trans Pennie Trail near Salters Brook

When the guys headed down the final ascent to Salters Brook it looked so much fun I just had to stop and take a photo of them. I followed soon after and got up to great speed. The only problem we had with some of these tracks was that they often followed a man made crossing from east to west and visa versa. Therefore they had tall stone walls on their south side and when combined with the surrounding hills and low winter sunshine meant any lying ice would stay shadowed from the warm sunshine and frozen for days.

Gary and Simon descending Trans Pennine Trail to Salters Brook

I rattled my way down the icy track towards the gate before the packhorse bridge at Salters Brook. I took great care but made one crucial mistake. When I stopped I should have headed to the far right side of the path that was clearly bathing in warm sunshine. Instead I was a right numpty and stopped over an ancient paving of hard stone cobbles covered in black ice. A few moments later my poor left arm slammed on these hard cobbles and my face was one of shameful embaressment.

Salters Brook information board, Peak District

We all had a good laugh at my expense at Salters Brook as we soaked up the awesome views. We couldn't believe how lucky we had been with the weather. As you can see from the photos it was glorious all day.

Gary and Simon at Salters Brook, Peak District

As we ascended from Salters Brook there was a lovely moment where two Grouse that were sat on top of the stone wall seemed some what unperturbed by our presence as we cycled by.

Gary passing Grouse on stone wall above Salters Brook

We crossed the Woodhead Pass again at Longside End then made our way along the track across Longside Edge. This was a fairly level route on a sticky track through farm fields. We were having so much fun racing down the wide open track
that we missed the left turn off down the official Trans Pennine Trail route to the Woodhead Tunnels.

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Simon and Gary on the Trans Pennine Trail over Longside Edge

Instead we took a far more adventurous route over the stream at Audernshaw Clough and down the edge of Pikenaze Hill. Cycling down steep hills and through streams was so much fun.

Gary crossing the stream at Audernshaw Clough

We stopped for a moment on Pikenaze Hill to take in the views down through the Woodhead Valley over Woodhead Reservoir. Again all commenting on how lucky we had been with the weather.

Myself and bike above Woodhead Reservoir, Peak District

The last descent down Pikenaze Hill to the Woodhead Pass was incredibly good fun. The track changed from a muddy sticky quagmire into a fast rocky path passing old sheep folds and gateways. You had to really concentrate at that speed and on a rocky path throwing you all over the place. When we reached the Woodhead Pass road again we realised out navigational mistake. We realised that to correct it we needed to either ascend the busy Woodhead Pass to the Woodhead Tunnel or descend the busy Woodhead Pass skipping out the reservoir section of the Trans Pennine Trail.

Simon and Gary descending Pikenaze Hill to Woodhead Reservoir

Travelling by car over the woodhead pass I have seen the road side of this valley on numerous occasions. I wanted to see the quieter side where the Trans Pennine Trail followed the old railway route. I had also never seen the entrance to the Woodhead Tunnel before.

Woodhead Tunnel and River Etherow, Peak District

The entrance to the Woodhead Tunnel was fairly dull if I'm honest, Not sure what I expected really as these days they are owned by the National Grid and are blocked up and carry huge power lines. Luckily for those of us who admire the Peak District's scenery this means the ugly power lines come down from there big ugly metal stands and are hidden under the ground for miles.

Pikenaze Hill across Woodhead Reservoir, Peak District

The view across Woodhead Reservoir was pretty spectaular. The most prominent feature across the reservoir being Pikenaze Hill that we had just descended. A ribbon of beautiful moorland hills held up by the blue waters of the Woodhead Reservoir and backed by perfect cloudless blue skies.

Broadbottom railway viaduct above the Trans Pennine Trail

The route of the Trans Pennine Trail along the Woodhead Valley suffered from the same sheltered shadowing effect of the higher tracks. With the mighty bulk of Bleaklow on the south side, parts of the Woodhead Valley's south side get no sun
during winter months. Gary unfortunately was the first to come a cropper and in some fashion. He couldn't see the black ice at the bottom of one small dip in the track and his bike went from under him. A sore knee for Gary and the going was a bit slower after that. We stopped above Torside Reservoir to refuel our bellies as we were all feeling a little deflated and lacking energy. At Hadfield Simon and Gary decided they had enjoyed crossing the Pennines but were struggling, Gary with his sore knee and Simon lacking energy as he hadn't eaten too well, so both decided to call it a day. Leaving myself as the lone straggler. I carried on along the Trans Pennine Trail which was now familiar to me as I had cycled this section before. The hills of the Pennines were nothing compared to the hill at Broadbottom which is massivly underestimated by those travelling along the Trans Pennine Trail as looking at a map it doesn't look much. The urban terraced buildings along the road hiding the contours. I made it up that hill by simply shouting at myself, calling myself all the names under the sun I could think of, ridiculing myself for years of being over weight, eating badly and not doing enough exercise.

Trans Pennine Trail tunnel under the Peak Forest Canal in Hyde

I past by the not so pretty Hattersley then headed along the A57 to Gee Cross. Here the Trans Pennine Trail descends a fast stone track to reach an old railway cutting. This easy level route heads west to reach Hyde. At Hyde it drops to a tunnel under the Peak Forest Canal before entering the Haughton Dale Local Nature Reserve. This is a really nice section of the Trans Pennine Trail following the valley of the River Tame.

Weir on the River Tame at Haughton Dale

It was here at this weir on the River Tame a few months ago that I watched in amazement at a Salmon leaping up the weir. It was an incredible moment as I never thought I'd see a Salmon this far up stream in such an urban waterway. It must have made its way up so many obstacles, forty miles along the River Mersey and Manchester Ship Canal.

Railway viaduct at Reddish Vale on the Trans Pennine Trail

The Tame Valley is a stunning green belt area. I followed the river bank all the way to the A6017 where another testing hill took me up to a housing estate through which the trail runs to Hyde Hall. At Hyde Hall there is a horrible track with huge holes and massive puddles of water. I can only liken it to those muddy bumpy tracks on indoor motor cross circuits. It is probably the part of the Trans Pennine Trail route I hate the most and today it was quite ridiculous after a week of rain. For the first time all day, despite having waterproof footwear my feet were soaked. I was cold, wet and tired and to make things worse I could see that the sun was about to set.

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My bike on the side of the Trans Pennine Trail

I had to get a move on and after Reddish Vale I picked up speed along the old railway route to Stockport from Brinnington. When I got to Stockport I decided against the up hill and longer route around Lancashire Hill. Instead I cycled through the subways of the Portwood Roundabout and took the shortcut straight through the town centre of Stockport. I got some funny looks as I passed shoppers with a bike twice its width due to huge amounts of mud stuck to it.

Sunset over River Mersey near Didsbury, Greater Manchester

When I reached the pyramid building the sun had set which made for a lovely ride along the banks of the River Mersey to Didsbury. The glowing horizon was stunning. You would have no idea you were within the heart of the third largest conurbation in Britain.

Sunset over River Mersey near Didsbury, Greater Manchester

Unfortunately there is one part of the bank of the River Mersey that is inaccessible so the Trans Pennine Trail gets re-routed through streets for almost two miles. The proper route heads through the back way to Didsbury village avoiding the busy road junction at Parrs Wood. I understand why they do this as it isn't a bike friendly junction, but it does add some time to the journey and I was struggling for day light now and had my lights on. I decided to go the Parrs Wood way and then made my way down to Ford Lane where another humongous puddle awaited my arrival.

River Mersey at Ford Lane, Northenden, Greater Manchester

I wasn't cycling home to my house in Altrincham as I had plans to watch the United match at my mums house which happens to be in Northenden where the Trans Pennine Trail passes. Ford Lane took me along the River Mersey and literally a few hundred metres from the bottom of my mums road. As I jumped off my bike at my mums house I was shocked by how much mud was all over me and the bike in particular. I also felt a slight twinge in my legs muscles and could feel the on set of cramp so immediately warmed down with a few stretches. I was so glad that I had really pushed myself, it was a great ride.

Myself tired and muddy after 39.5 mile ride

I worked out the next day that I had cycled 39.5 Miles, 835m Total Ascent, 964m Total Descent, 449m Max Altitude, and burned 3611 Calories. Job well done.